WHEREAS, Americans believe that women should be able to consult
with their doctor, family, and faith about personal, private medical decisions;
and

WHEREAS, states enacted twice as many anti-choice laws in 2011 as
they did in the previous year, including laws that force women who choose
abortion care to undergo a forced ultrasound procedure against their will and
even if their doctors do not recommend one; and

WHEREAS, eight states since 2010 have enacted laws that ban
abortion at 20 weeks, regardless of the women’s situation, without exceptions
to protect her health, and in violation of the right to privacy guaranteed
under Roe v. Wade; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to defund Title
X, the only federal program exclusively dedicated to family-planning and
reproductive-health care, and Planned Parenthood,
jeopardizing access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other basic health
care for millions of Americans; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. House of Representatives also passed a bill that
could spur the Internal Revenue Service to audit rape survivors who choose
abortion care and another bill that would allow hospitals to refuse emergency
abortion care to women who could die without it; and

WHEREAS, the debate around women’s access to reproductive-health
services, like contraception, has drawn offensive rhetoric; and

WHEREAS, reproductive-health care and the overwhelming majority of
services provided by Planned Parenthood health centers is basic health care for
women, including cancer screenings and breast exams; and

WHEREAS, for many women with limited incomes, Planned Parenthood
clinics are their point of entry into the health care system and their ongoing
source of primary care services; and

WHEREAS, if these services disappear, more women are likely to
contract diseases that will imperil their lives and lead to highly expensive
Medicaid and Medicare bills borne by taxpayers; and

WHEREAS, these programs are essential to reducing rates of
unintended pregnancy and preventing the increase of the number of women with
cervical and breast cancers who are not diagnosed until the cancers are in the
late stages; and

NOW
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the
U.S. Conference of Mayors affirms the importance of women’s reproductive
rights; and

BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the U.S.
Conference of Mayors urges Congress and the states to pursue a positive agenda
that reaffirms fundamental rights and improves women’s access to safe and
comprehensive reproductive-health care.